User blog:Cfp3157/Historical Review: "The Lion King" Roars with Pride and Heart All This Time Later
Childhood classics are always looked back upon fondly, and often the bigger the impact the bigger the bias. Often viewed as the peak of Disney's Renaissance that took place for the decade between 1989 and 1999, The Lion King ''is an immaculately made piece of art that holds a special place in the heart of every child that has seen it. It is often discussed as a masterpiece, untouchable, and its name is always thrown into the conversation of the best animated film of all time. With the 2019 remake premiering in theaters, it is appropriate to look back on ''The Lion King- ''and that means truly look back, to reexamine it with fresh eyes and as little attachment as possible- to see just how and why it has earned its place in history. The Cast Animation as an artform has always been universally praised and respected, with exception to one community - actors. To this day, there has not been a single performance in voicework nominated for an Academy Award, Golden Globe, BAFTA, or Screen Actors Guild award. This despite the fact that animated films could not work or thrive without the integration of sound and voice to form into art. It is with this knowledge that one truly sees how, despite the acclaim many animated performances garner, it is a criminally underrated art of acting. ''The Lion King ''is one prime example of great voice work being denied, and is the best example of an ensemble of voice work being ignored. Not only are there obvious greats in ''The Lion King, but there is not a single faulty note or role in the film. The first proof of this goes to the immediately underrated performances of many of its supporting characters. With elegance, grace, and a regal authority, Madge Sinclair bestows upon the character of Sarabi that allows for her limited time to be put to the best use possible. These same praises can be bestowed on Robert Guillaume, the voice behind the mischievous elder baboon Rafiki. Despite only a single scene where he speaks in full dialogue, Guillame's wit and intelligence burned through in his cackling laughs and poignant usage of words. Legendary characters of The Lion King shine through in their many comedic characters, brought to life by the talented comedians playing them. Nathan Lane and Ernie Sabella, the former an up-and-coming legend and the latter a legend of television, bring with them the traditional yet best version of Disney's sidekicks. Lane's high-pitched voice and ecstatic, frantic cadence blends marvelously with the scratchy, lower but undeniably heartfelt work of Sabella. The chemistry leaps off the screen, both with each other and a talented Matthew Brodrick. Additionally, the three hyenas that work as sidekicks for Scar are voiced by some of the best comedians of the 1990's. Whoopi Goldberg carries just the right amount of sass and temper into her Shenzi, while Cheech Marin's Banzai is grumpy and dim-witted in the best way. Jim Cummings, despite a lack of dialogue, manages to play off his insanity incredibly well in his crazed, manic, and chaotic laughs that make Ed both the funniest and unconsciously threatening of the hyenas. As the adult versions of the lead and love interest, Matthew Broderick and Moira Kelly both have outstanding chemistry despite their limited roles. Broderick's earnestness and charming aloofness allow for the audience to buy into his shorter screentime as Simba, while Kelly reflects a maturity and spark of energy that allows for Nala to become her own character. However, it is the child versions of Simba and Nala that truly shine brightest, thanks to Jonathan Taylor Thomas' innate comfort in his role and Niketa Calame's in her's. Thomas commands the younger Simba with just the right amount of youthful energy and arrogant swagger that make him likeable but not perfect, while Calame sows the seeds that end up becoming Moira Kelly's performance that could not sprout without Calame's talent. When discussing The Lion King, two names often come up and with good reason; James Earl Jones and Jeremy Irons, who play brothers Mufasa and Scar. Both men bring an instant gravitas that allows for them to inhabit characters with years of experience. The interactions between Scar and Mufasa echo brotherhood and familial connection, absolutely bolstering each other in the best ways. James Earl Jones' commanding and booming voice is countered with perfection by Jeremy Irons' hypnotic, deliciously villainous rasp. Both men bolster an already talented cast to ensure The Lion King' place in film history with their iconic voice work. Score: 5 out of 5 The Story In the African Pride Lands, Simba grows up as the heir to Mufasa, the leader of Pride Rock and its lands. However, after a tragedy instigated by Mufasa's younger brother Scar, Simba flees his responsibilities as king and becomes an exile. Through his tragedies and growth, Simba learns what responsibility, loyalty, and maturity to truly become the titular Lion King Despite technically being the first Disney animated film to be an original story, a paradox emerges where The Lion King happens to be one of the first Disney films to address and expand upon the themes of the stories it is clearly inspired by. The creators of The Lion King have openly cited both William Shakespeare's Hamlet and the Christian Bible as sources of inspiration, and those two works are clearly reflected in the plot and story of The Lion King. Hamlet is the most well-known influence, given its eerie similarity in terms of plot. Simba's role as an outcast against a corrupt authoritative uncle shaped by the death of his father is clearly meant to be the young prince Hamlet, with other aspects of the plot being clearly ripped from the play and integrated into a family-friendly but no less gripping format. This includes many of its political elements, which will be discussed later on. However, as a story, The Lion King is far more linked with the Christian Bible. However, even with the surface level Biblical ties, itt doesn't truly connect enough to it to be anything more than "inspired by". This includes Simba's role as "The Chosen One" akin to Jesus, while his self-induced guilt echoing Moses' own exile, and the mythical wisdom of older figures like Mufasa as the paternal God and Rafiki as Simba's crazier guide and John the Baptist-figure. Another Biblical element that is reflecting in the character of Simba is the character's affinity to water, much like the figure of Jesus. The often symbolic usage of water in the Bible is repeated in The Lion King, such as Jesus' washing of the disciples' feet being repeated as the rains of Simba's roars to cleanse the Pride Lands, to Jesus' own baptism to become the Messiah being copied when Simba looks into a pool of water to truly inherit his role as king. These Biblical references, however, are just that- references. The story of The Lion King is truly its own, in that it combines these references into its own themes that form separate of both Hamlet and the Bible. For example, the water tied to Simba as a character could also just be a coincidence given the film's emphasis on the importance of balance in nature. From the film's opening song "The Circle of Life" to its utilization of the four elements, The Lion King uses nature as symbolism possibly more than anything else. Timon and Pumba's teaching of eating bugs are a gift from the earth, Mufasa's vision and Rafiki learning of Simba's survival are courtesy of the air, the fire sparked in the film's climax serve as a purifying flame to Scar's poison, and of course the previously mentioned rain. Just as Simba grows in maturity in plot terms, he does so in story terms thanks to the intrinsic tying of nature to these important plot steps. Speaking of plot, The Lion King's inherently political nature is far more than a copy-and-paste of Hamlet's story beats. This most clearly facets itself in the three male figures- the traditionalist Mufasa, the outcast Scar, and the moderate Simba. Mufasa's traditional rule allows for prosperity for the majority and the ruling class of lions, but it also allows for the minorities like the hyenas and his brother Scar to fester in the shadows, quite literally in the forbidden dark lands they inhabit. Scar's ability to usurp is largely thanks to his exploitation of the hyenas, an unintelligent and aggressive class of outside, although he additionally builds up a cult of personality and streak of manipulative viciousness that cause the lands and its people to suffer. Both of these two leaders are born into privilege, however, and thus neither truly cares about the fates of the everyone. It is Simba, the protagonist, that ends up going through the most change and establishes a better society for the story. Initially, Simba shares the worst traits of his family- he is as detached as his father Mufasa but also as arrogant as Scar. However, unlike both of his paternal figures, Simba spends a majority of his upbringing with actual outcasts. Thus, he represents a middle ground between both approaches to leadership, symbolized both by Simba's coronation in the dark night, or the forbidden, and the film's final scene where Simba rules alongside Nala as well outcasts Pumba, Timon, and Rafiki. Ultimately, The Lion King absolutely thrives due to its originality and many layers beneath a deceptively simple film. Indeed, as a family friendly musical, The Lion King faces a mechanical flaw in that it covers many storytelling beats but doesn't get a chance to truly explore these deeper facets. However, the film truly does rise above that mechanical flaw by covering so much ground in an effective, emotional way. There's additional themes such as maturity, handling death, and responsibility, but those have been covered by many critics and scholars. Additionally, there are several smaller jokes, lines, and references to pop culture. It feels more appropriate then to tackle the much deeper levels that may or may not even be perceived without the intention of looking for them. Score: 5 out of 5 The Direction If there's one word to describe The Lion King, it's beautiful. Every song, every image, every background sound; just beautiful. It's almost impossible to describe why the film manages to look and feel so different from many others just in its sheer awe-inspiring beauty, but the how is a much easier question to answer; its the details. There isn't a stone left unturned, in a medium that would allow for those exceptions in a way other films may not be granted. Not only does fur have individual strands or individual blades of grass appear, but the cinematography and animation manages to catch every detail as if it were a real, live look into nature. The film's cinematographer, or in this case camera manager, Joe Jiuliano, not only paints beautiful pictures to appear onscreen- which he certainly does, such as the breathtaking opening shots in "Circle of Life" to the emotional climax at Simba's roar- but he instills every single scene with blink-and-you-miss-it details that just enhance the overall picture. He doesn't just show the dust clouds of a stampede, but a thin layer that slowly builds into a thick, impenetrable layer of brown; he doesn't divide the scene between lit and shaded areas, but allows light to pass through the leaves of a tree to land on the characters. No real life detail is missed, making hand drawn animation as realistic as it can be. This doesn't discount the work of the actual animation team, who instill the film with as many little details as Jiuliano and his team do. For example, Scar's claws are open around Simba when they touch him while the others lions retract their's, or individual water drops fall off of Nala's soaking wet skin. Nothing is left ignored, and once again it is that attention to detail that warrants such praise. All of the previous praise, however, favors realism, and doesn't even begin to acknowledge the truly vibrant film created by the lightning and coloring teams. "Can't Wait to Be King" is a vibrant imagination of a young cub's perception of the natural world, while the beetles that Timon and Pumba scavenge cover more colors then the rainbow. The world isn't divided into the primary colors but flashes into shades of pink, orange, red, blue, indigo, purple, and every facet to ensure that this fantastical display of art can be felt on a primal, flashy level. Then there's the auditory praise, including the sound work. Once again, every pebble is heard as it hits the ground and every background animal noise can be heard. Musical cues take a backseat in the film outside of the musical numbers and more dramatic moments, instead allowing the music of the safari itself to play as characters talk. It's not just immersive but it's imaginative, including the usage of real animal sounds interspersed throughout the dialogue. Hans Zimmer ended up delivering one of his single greatest pieces of composition in the music for The Lion King. Every dramatic cue allows the audience to feel the true weight of the scenes, while his build-ups to the traditional songs is part of what makes each sing-along immortal. Zimmer's work is often subtle in the best moments and earth-shattering in the best moments, making for a combination that will always allow for the emotional heft to be felt to those that even know what to expect. And in conclusion, there's the soundtrack. Each musical number, with exception to "Morning Report" (which was added in later releases after the Broadway musical's success) feels organic and necessary for the story. "The Circle Of Life" ends up becoming an important thesis statement for the rest of the film, while "Can't Wait to Be King" and "Hakuna Matata" are instantly catchy songs that inspire youthful energy. "Be Prepared" is a vicious and heart-racing anthem of a villain's song, while the Oscar-winning "Can You Feel The Love Tonight?" has earned its legacy as a wholesome but sensual romantic piece. Score: 5 out of 5 Final Verdict There's so much to love about this film and its artistic beauty. The music, the animation, the performances, and the story, already of great quality even further enhanced by an intimate attention to detail. Passion of every filmmaker that was involved can be felt and bleeds into the film, from the intricately drawn blades of grass and fur, to the single beats of every pebble, raindrop, and echoed footstep. The thematic character work is deep, layered, but understandably simple, sticking to a consistency of character and frequently hilarious but poignant writing. The Lion King, even 25 years later and with technology progressing just as far, remains a phenomenal and undeniable piece of art. Score: 100% Category:Blog posts Category:Historical Reviews Category:Reviews